Dynamic routing protocols are widely used in broadband networks to route data packets. One of the functions of these dynamic routing protocols, besides establishing the initial routing, is to reroute data packets around network failures. In the past, rerouting data involves a procedure that may take several minutes from the time the network failure occurs to the time the new routes are installed in the routing tables of the nodes, routers or switches that encompass the network.
Time sensitive network traffic, such as network traffic including voice over internet protocol (“VoIP”) telephone calls and real time audio and video transmissions, are sensitive to network failures. For example, if a VoIP telephone call is interrupted by a network failure, the VoIP telephone call will likely be dropped because the rerouting around the network failure may take several minutes. This has the unfortunate drawback of requiring VoIP telephone users to redial to reestablish their telephone calls affected by the network failure. In like manner, real time streaming of audio and video may be interrupted for several minutes while the network reroutes around the network failure. The time taken to reroute around the network failure may significantly reduce the user's ability to effectively utilize network services. Therefore, there exists a need for a system that can more efficiently reroute around network failures.